Joshua Sutcliffe, a teacher who has been “offended by the sex” of a pupil, is banned from the profession

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A Christian teacher has been banned from the profession for allegedly “misleading” a pupil in a case believed to be the first of its kind in the UK.

Joshua Sutcliffe, 33, was adjudged by the Teaching Regulatory Authority (TRA) to have failed to treat a pupil with “dignity and respect”. It was also shown that he failed to protect the welfare of a pupil when he did not use the preferred pronouns of a girl identified as a boy.

Mr Sutcliffe, a former maths teacher at Sherwell State High School in Oxford, admitted he did not use pupil’s favorite pronouns when praising a group of pupils during a maths lesson by saying, “Well done girls”. He claimed that this was not intentional and that he immediately apologized.

The TRA found it was “more likely than not” that he publicly referred to the transgender pupil using female pronouns on other occasions while working at the school between 2015 and 2018, which Mr Sutcliffe denied.

In addition to the pupil misleading allegations, Mr Sutcliffe was found guilty of misconduct for expressing his views against same-sex marriage when questioned by a pupil, and for failing to “consider the potential impact” on his pupils, particularly those who may be LGBT+, from a statement that Being gay is wrong.

A complaint against the teacher for showing students at a different school a video containing “inappropriate comments”, including that the growing problem in today’s society is that men are not masculine enough, was also upheld.

Standard fell ‘significantly short’

The TRA’s ruling stated that “the Committee was satisfied with Mr Sutcliffe’s conduct substantially below the standard of conduct expected of a teacher”, and he was therefore guilty of unacceptable professional conduct.

The decision on whether to impose a ban on behalf of Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, rests with Alan Merrick, the telecoms regulator’s decision-maker.

He said, “In my opinion, it is necessary to enforce the ban order in order to maintain public confidence in the profession.”

The ruling comes as schools await the first detailed government guidance on how to respond to transgender pupils, which is due to be published this term.

School principals have warned that without formal guidance, schools are operating “in a vacuum”.

The guidance is expected to state that school leaders can refuse to use the different pronouns requested by pupils.

A Whitehall source said the guidance would reflect the interim findings of the Cass review, a report commissioned by the NHS by pediatrician Dr Hilary Cass.

She warned that allowing children to “social transition” to their preferred gender “is not a neutral act” and could have a “significant” impact on their “psychological functioning”.

It was suspended after the TV show came out

Mr Sutcliffe was the subject of a disciplinary hearing at Cherwell School in 2017 after the father of a transgender pupil complained he was misleading her child.

The teacher appeared on a television program to talk about this issue, and was later suspended and then dismissed.

Tra is told that the pupil fears being recognized and feels suicidal after Professor Sutcliffe appears on television. The TRA found that Prof. Sutcliffe did not preserve the pupil’s welfare when he referred to the pupil using the feminine pronoun in the show.

The CRA said that while Mr Sutcliffe had shown a measure of insight and remorse as to the impact of his actions on pupils, this was limited and “was well below the level the committee had expected”.

Mr Merrick’s statement added: “The published decision, in light of the circumstances in this case, which is not supported by full remorse or foresight, does not in my opinion satisfy the public interest requirement with respect to public confidence in the profession.”

The teacher has been banned from teaching indefinitely and cannot teach at any six-year school, college or children’s home in England. He can apply to lift the ban in 2025.

Psychologically harmful to children

On Monday, Sutcliffe said the decision had “devastated” him. He plans to appeal and has the support of the Christian Law Center.

He said, “I think emphasizing children in the gender confusion in class harms them psychologically. I refuse to go against my conscience and cause harm to a child and I refuse to apologize for it.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We do not comment on specific cases or individuals.

“More broadly, the Minister for Education is working closely with the Minister for Women and Equalities to support schools with regard to children who question their gender, following calls from schools, teachers and parents.

“These guidelines will clarify the legal position of schools and the importance of involving parents when making any decisions regarding their children.”

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